Friday, February 3, 2012

Scripture Squiggle: Isaiah 55:8-9

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LordFor as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts."

A few years ago, when my car broke down, again, I borrowed my brother's Grand Am, which happened to be the car I learned to drive on. When I climbed in, even though I hadn't driven the car in a long time, everything felt familiar. I had no trouble readjusting to driving a stick shift. So I was very confused when, after stopping to check the mail, I couldn't get the car to start.

I tried every trick I knew before I finally gave in and called my brother. He ran through the list of things I had already attempted.

"I've done all that."

"Then I don't know what to tell you."

I sighed. "Great."

"Okay, stupid question: Are you using the right key?"

I rolled my eyes. "Of course I'm using the right key." Although he couldn't see me, I raised my hand to prove to him that my car and mailbox keys were in my hand and the Grand Am key was in the ignition. But the keys in my hand were not mine. "Oh."

I swapped the keys and the car started immediately on my next attempt.

Sometimes I get so wrapped up in trying to figure out the solution to things, that I make things more complicated than they really are. Or I think I know enough about something that I don't need any outside help.

Most of the time, I'm wrong.

And when I finally yield myself up to sincere prayer, I often find that the answer was so simple, I had merely overlooked it. But, had I remembered that the Lord's ways are not mine and taken a step back to view my troubles from His perspective, the solution would have been plain before me.

Just as it was with the keys. I was so certain that the problem had something to do with the car, rather than the driver, that I didn't see my simple mistake. The world's way is to look outward, to blame our troubles on things beyond our control, but the Lord's way is to look inward.